The present invention is in the field of mechanical-electrical transducers and is specifically directed to a sound pickup for a stringed musical instrument such as a guitar for providing electrical signals to conventional amplifying equipment.
Sound pickup devices employing electro-magnetic coil means responsive to the movement of the strings of a guitar or the like for providing an output signal have been in use for a substantial number of years. Examples of sound pickup devices are found in U.S. Pat Nos. 3,711,619 and 3,916,751. A substantial problem encountered with sound pickups of this general type has been that many of such pickups have been overly susceptible to hum created by external equipment such as fluorescent lights, transformers and the like. Much effort has been directed toward the elimination of hum so as to provide for an improvement in the overall performance of devices of this type. Also, sound pickups for stringed instruments are sometimes subjected to rough handling and it is therefore desirable that they be capable of withstanding such handling while also providing a high quality signal output. The foregoing problem has resulted in sound pickups which are hand-assembled and include high quality threaded screw type connections for maintaining the components in a desired position; unfortunately, the labor and manufacturing expenses resultant from the employment of screw type connectors and the like is substantial.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved sound pickup for a stringed instrument.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved sound pickup for a stringed instrument which is easy to assemble so as to minimize labor expenses.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved sound pickup which can withstand rough handling without damage or reduction in the quality of its output signal.